(c) 2 Chr. 26.16, God rejected him, and of (c) Uzziah, who

&c.

was therefore fmitten with Leprofy and cut off from the House of the Lord, and deprived even of the Adminiftration of Civil Affairs, tho' he retained the Title of King. In a word, The Magiftrates Power is purely Civil, and tho' he may Decree and Judge in Ecclefiaftical Affairs, yet it must be in a Temporal, not a Spiritual manner: For his Authority is purely Temporal, and fo is his Perfon alfo, and Du Pin. Cent. has ever been esteemed fo: And St. Maxi

7. P. 25.

mus, Secretary of State to the Emperor Heraclius, and Abbot of the Monastery of Chryfopolis, (who flourished about the beginning of the feventh Century) as appears in the Account we have of his Life printed before his Works at Paris, 1675; and written not long after his time, maintained, That the Emperors, tho' Chriftians, were not Prelates. For, faith he, He who does not offer upon the Altars, does not Baptize, does not give the facred Unition, does not lay on Hands, does not create Bishops, Priefts and Deacons, does not Confecrate Altars, does not wear the Sacerdotal Marks nor Habits, cannot be called a Prelate among Chriftians; therefore in the Oblation at the Altar, the Emperor is named after the Bishops, the Pricfts, the Deacons, and the Eclefiaft. lib. Clerks, in the Rank of the Laity. Erasmus also obferves very well, That the Priest is the Father in Chrift, even of Monarchs themselves; He is their Tutor, their Inftructor, and their Cenfor: By him they are made Chriftians, by him they participate of the Sacraments of the Church, by him they learn the Law of the Lord, and the way of Salvati on, and by him they are recalled from Error, if at any time they happen to be feduced by evil Counfels.

I. p. 158.

What

What I have here last afferted, that howfoever the Magiftrate may debar an Ecclefiaftick from the exercife of his Function within a particular Diftrict, this does by no means extinguish his Character, or take away the Divine Authority which he has to his Function, is fully proved and plainly made out by the Reverend Dr. Turner, (z)(z) Page 182. in his Book Intituled a Vindication of the Rights and Privileges of the Chriftian Church, in Anfwer to a late Book Intituled, The Rights of the Chriftian Church afferted, &c. to which I refer the Reader.

I have nothing more to add under this Head, but only that I would not be understood to think our Queen has all the Authority which I here allow to the Supreme Power, because fhe is tied up by Laws which fhe cannot alter herfelf alone: But at the Head of her Parliament she has certainly all the Authority here fpoken of. What therefore her Majefty may do by virtue of her Royal Prerogative without the consent of the States I pretend not to determine: It is certain with their confent she has as unlimited a Power as any Prince in the World. And in this Senfe I fuppofe our Second Canon is to be understood, which equals her Power to that of any Christian Emperour. For it is unreasonable that her Power over the Church fhould be greater than it is over the State, or that she should make Laws for the Government of the Church, otherwise than the Laws of the Land have empowered her to do.

CHAP.

& Deut. 10. 9.

& 18 2.

CHA P. III.

Of the feveral Orders of the Clergy.

HO' the Supreme Power over all Perfons and in all Caufes be vested in the Civil Magiftrate, fo that no Perfon in his Dominion is exempt from his Jurisdiction, nor any Caufe from his Cognizance; yet, as I hope I have prov'd in my firft Chapter, there is a particular Order of Men who have a different and co-ordinate Power in the Church, having received their Commiffion immediately from Chrift himself: Thefe are called Clerks or Clergy (a) Dift. 21. c 1. Men from (a) xangos which fignifies a Lot or (6) Num. 18. 20, Portion, (b) because the Lord is their Portion, and they are to be maintained out of thofe Revenues which were given for the Service of Christ and his Church. These are of three Degrees or Orders: For in the Preface to the Form and Manner of making and confecrating Bishops, Priests and Deacons, our Church tells us, that It is evident to all Men diligently reading holy Scripture and ancient Authors, that from the Apostles time there hath been thefe Orders of Minifters in Chrift's Church, Bishops, Priests and Deacons; which Offices were evermore had in fuch reverend Estimation, that no Man by his own private Authority might prefume to execute any of them, except he were first called, tried and exami ned, and known to have fuch Qualities, as were requifite for the fame, and alfo by publick Prayer with Impofition of Hands, approved and admitted

thereunto

The

The lowest Order of the Clergy in the Church of England, is that of Deacons, whofe Office (as we learn from the Form and Manner of ordering Deacons) is in the Church where he fhall be appointed to ferve, to affift the Priest in Divine Service, and fpecially when he adminiftreth the Holy Communion, and to help him in the Diftribution thereof, and to read Holy Scriptures and Homilies in the Congregation, and to inftruct the Youth in the Catechism, to Baptize and to Preach, if he be thereto admitted by the Bishot. And furthermore it is his Office, where Prov.fion is fo made, to fearch for the Sick, Poor and Impotent People of the Parish, to intimate their Eftares, Names and Places where they dwell unto the Curate, that by his Exhortation they may be relieved by the Parish, or

other convenient Alms.

The Priefs (as appears from the Form and Manner of ordering Priefts) are the Messengers, the Watchmen and the Stewards of the Lord, to teach, to premonish, to feed, and provide for the Lord's Family, to feek for Chrift's Sheep which are difperfed abroad, and for his Children which be in the midst of this naughty World, to be faved by Chrift for ever. And their Office is, to Minifter the Doctrine and Sacraments, and the Difcipline of Chrift, as the Lord hath commanded, and as this Realm bath received the fame. To be ready with all faithful Diligence to banish and drive away erroneous and ftrange Doctrines contrary to God's Word, and to ufe both publick and private Admonitions and Exhortations, as well to the Sick as to the Whole within their Cures, as need fhall require and Occafion be given. To maintain and fet forward (as much as in them lieth) Quietnefs, Peace and Love among Chriftians, and especially among them that are or fhall be committed to their Charge. E

The

The Bishop, befides what belongs to the Prieftly Office (as is apparent from the Practice of this Church) has the Power of conferring Orders by himfelf on Deacons, with the Affiftance of his Presbyters on Priefts, and of his Fellow-Bishops on Bifkos. He has an inherent Right of inflicting and loofing Spiritual Cenfures. And it is alfo peculiar to his Office to confirm or lay Hands on Perfons baptized. The Infliction and loofing Spiritual Cenfures is an Office fometimes delegated to Presbyters: But Ordination and Confirmation are adminiftred only by Bishops.

The Offices of Deans, Archdeacons, Canons, &c. are no Orders in the Church, but were introduced very early into it for the better Government thereof, however, I purpose in the enfuing part of this Difcourfe to treat of their feveral Originals according as my Method will lead me.

CHAP. IV.

That Bishops and Priests are diftinct Orders Proved from the Scriptures.

TH

HE Offices of Priests or Presbyters and Deacons, are fo apparently diftinguished in the New Teftament, that I know not that ever it was difputed by any Perfon: But the Distinction between Bishops and Presbyters has been in these two laft Ages difputed by fome. And indeed it must be acknowledged that in Scripture times the Names Bishop and Presbyter were promifcuously used to denominate the

fame